Take a load off before your taxes are due with a sci-fi mystery, one Barry narrating nature, another Barry navigating murder and Hollywood, a gaijin reporter in Tokyo, and couples put to the test to see if marriage is in the cards.
Outer Range - Prime Video
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
I'm a bit wary of the "mystery box" genre of film and TV as they seem to be more miss than hit, but the moody, modern Wyoming setting seems to be growing on me. Outer Range is being pitched as a sci-fi/western drama mashing up Yellowstone and Lost, starring stalwart, square-jawed cowboy types like Josh Brolin and Will Patton, who are joined by the talents of Lili Taylor and Imogen Poots. Brolin stars as a rancher who discovers a mysterious void/hole/chasm on his land. A lot of pontificating and uncomfortable conversations ensue, according to the trailer.
Our Great National Parks - Netflix
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
We don't often mention nature documentaries in this column, but I think a lot of us turn them on from time to time. The videography is always out of this world (sometimes literally) and they're filled with interesting information that doesn't hit the headlines every day. Our Great National Parks also has the addition of a famed narrator. No, not David Attenborough. Former President Barack Obama gently describes the wilderness that graces these protected areas. Throughout the series' five episodes, viewers get a glimpse of life in parks across the world, from Monterey Bay to Indonesia, set to dramatic music and filled with beautiful images. This is a great watch for a weekend afternoon when you just want to kick back and chill.
Tokyo Vice - HBO Max
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
It's been 30 years since the finale of Miami Vice, a buddy cop show set in the flamingo-pink, neon-lit streets of Miami in the 1980s. Now HBO Max has released a spiritual successor in Tokyo Vice. Based on a memoir by Jake Adelstein about his experience working at a major Japanese newspaper, the show plumbs the depths of the Tokyo underworld. Ansel Elgort plays the reporter, and Michael Mann, who directed many episodes of the original show as well as the acclaimed 2006 film version, is behind the pilot. If nothing else, check out Mann's work on the first episode. The director hasn't made a film since 2015's Blackhat, a cyberthriller starring Chris Hemsworth that some find silly and others think is a cult classic in the making. I fall into the latter camp and will take any opportunity to watch an old master return to form.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On - Netflix
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
Netflix has struck gold with its reality TV category and one of its latest installments, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, has social media in a frenzy this week. Let me just say now that this show is very messy and just as chaotic. It explores how couples grapple with seeing their significant others with other potential love interests (It's really just about lust at this point). These couples have been committed to each other for years and yet marriage has been put on the backburner. Now, they're being faced with an ultimatum: marry me or let's go our separate ways, date other people, and you watch me enjoy their company. I mean, TALK ABOUT MESSY!
Barry - HBO Max
Picked by Producer Jack Gallop
Now is the perfect time to catch up on Barry before the new season drops on April 24. You can watch the first two seasons (eight 30-40 minute episodes in each) on HBO Max. That’s, give-or-take, one episode per night so you’ll be in perfect stride heading into Season 3. If you haven’t seen the Emmy-award-winning series, Barry is a show about a hitman (Bill Hader) who falls in love with acting while on a hit job in Los Angeles. Hader will shock you with his impressive dramatic chops, in addition to providing plenty of his iconic awkwardness and outrageousness. Alongside Hader is an excellent cast of characters who are equally hilarious and frightening. Many critics liken the show to Fargo, so if you like the Coen Brothers, and you like Bill Hader… you will definitely enjoy Barry. Get rolling on that rewatch, or hop on board now, before the new season.
